


Love Is The Best Medicine

by dont_be_shy



Category: The Edge Chronicles, The Edge Chronicles: Midnight Over Sanctaphrax
Genre: M/M, Slash, hurt twig, nurse Cowlquape, soft, wholesome relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21850216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dont_be_shy/pseuds/dont_be_shy
Summary: Twig gets wounded during the skirmish in the Skyraider, and who better to help than Cowlquape his loyal apprentice?
Relationships: Arborinus (Twig) Verginix/Cowlquape Pentephraxis, Twig Verginix/Cowlquape Pentephraxis, Twig/Cowlquape
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Love Is The Best Medicine

**Author's Note:**

> Another small alternate universe! This one is shorter though ☻

For once, Twig’s remarkable reflexes failed him. The sharpened knife embedded itself into his side like a hornet’s barbed stinger into its prey. 

At first, his stomach lurched inside him. He felt like he was going to faint. Instead, he reached for the wall of the cabin, momentarily blind-sighted to the fight still occurring around him. Adrenaline pulsed through him like a cutting river current, causing his ears to pound mightily as he yanked the blade out of the wound. 

The dizziness faded into a soft buzzing as he placed a firm palm over the gash. He looked up just in time to duck a little farther down the wall in order to escape the edge of a cutlass the cloddertrog was wielding. He was momentarily useless and he knew it, the fight was in Cowlquape’s hands now.

As Twig hazily watched the fight unfold, he felt his palm become more slippery against his waistcoat. Cowlquape was thrown across the cabin, and suddenly Twig was a bit concerned if they truly would survive the skirmish. 

As the cloddertrog lumbered closer to Twig, who felt adrenaline kick in and tease power back into his limbs, there was a loud crack. The large galoot fell onto the floorboards. Cowlquape stood there with a sizable jug in his arms. 

‘Now, _that’s_ what I call a sleeping draught,’ The lad said shakily, setting the jug on the floor. Seeing the state of his mentor, he hurried over and kneeled next to him. 

‘Twig, are you alright?’ He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Twig let out a small strained laugh, patting the side of Cowlquape’s face a little too hard. Cowlquape helped him up, seeing where Twig’s hand was gripping his side. 

Twig, glancing his worry, let out a small sigh, ‘I’m alright Cowlquape. Either way, we’ve got pressing matters at hand, no time for this just- just yet.’ Wincing, he moved ahead of his apprentice. He had to keep a façade up for as long as possible. Perhaps the pain would go away if the adrenaline came back. 

•••

Cowlquape kept a close eye on his mentor for as long as Twig would allow. He certainly looked much paler than usual, and his eyes were rather dull instead of sparkling.

When Cowlquape’s fear of heights reared its head inside of the Slave Market, he had never felt worse for burdening someone. His head cleared as he finally picked himself up, seeing Twig’s gentle worried eyes. He blushed, hoping Twig wouldn’t be too troubled by his problem. 

They hadn’t had many free moments to care for themselves. The bustle and rush of the Slave Market fiasco quickly took a toll on the three of them. Cowlquape became increasingly fretful over Twig’s unchecked wound in his side. What if it got infected? What if leaving it to sit without disinfectant would _kill_ his mentor? His mind swam uneasily with care and worry. 

But Twig marched on like a true leader, leaving nary a lingering clue of fatigue besides his pallor. Cowlquape didn’t mention anything of his inner thoughts, not wanting to seem like a buzzing gnat.

Three days in the market had passed, their cockades were wilting, and Twig had spotted his banderbear friend. Unfortunately, Goom had been roped into a sticky situation. The grotesque fascination for a creature fighting for its life had ended Goom the banderbear up in a cage about to be lowered into the wig-wig arena. Immediately, Cowlquape felt a bristle of energy seep from his mentor. As Twig sent him away to fetch some prowlgrins, Cowlquape only hoped Twig was thinking straight and knew what he was about to do. 

Upon arrival back at the scene, Cowlquape soon realized his mentor had done something quite astonishing, but wasn’t quite sure what. The stands were in an uproar, and a stray gold coin hit him in the side of the head as he and Spooler lead the prowlgrins. 

Cowlquape sighted Twig and felt a warm, calm emotion flood his chest like an oakapple turnover being drizzled in icing. He sighed, feeling worry as Twig exerted himself, overly so. 

‘Twig!’ He called, running the rest of the expanse to meet his mentor halfway. 

Twig glanced at him and the prowlgrins fleetingly, ‘Well done lad!’ he exclaimed, climbing onto his prowlgrin. Cowlquape had a bit of a struggle getting on the beast himself, as did Goom. 

Their party soon attracted the attention of a posse of shryke guards, and Cowlquape was left to wonder what exactly Twig had done in his absence. At first the four of them had stampeded through the market unforgivingly on the prowlgrins, but soon they came upon the end of the bridge. With a bounding leap, their prowlgrins lurched off one by one into the trees. 

Cowlquape’s knees dug into the sides of the poor creature, and his hands felt sweaty on the reigns. Twig’s assurances met his ears from behind, and Cowlquape took a deep breath to distill his fears. The shryke guards were still hot on their trail, long after the market had disappeared from view. But as the Deepwoods began to swallow them up, the shrykes fell short in their pursuit.

Cowlquape finally felt the tense muscles in his body relax. ‘Thank Sky, it’s over!’ He said shakily over his shoulder. Twig had been the closest to him at first, but it seemed now that his mentor was lagging behind. Cowlquape looked back a second time, and realized that Twig’s face was twisted in pain. The lad’s heart stopped, and on impulse he pulled the beast under him to a stop on the nearest branch. 

‘Twig?’ He cried, seeing him slip forward in the saddle, seeming to pass out mid flight. Good thing his prowlgrin lumbered to a startled halt a few branches ahead of Cowlquape as it felt its rider lose control. 

Cowlquape, without thinking, hopped forward over the space between the tree branches just in time to brace Twig from falling out of the saddle. The other two riders slowed behind them. 

‘Twig! Are you alright? What’s wrong?’ Cowlquape said frantically, hearing Twig let out a small groan. He’d never seen Twig so weak before, it made him feel unbelievably scared. 

‘I thought it would h...heal but,’ Twig gripped his side with a hiss. ‘Blast it, I’m sorry Cowlquape.’ 

Cowlquape was at first just scrambling for a way to fix it, cold sweat was on his forehead and his heart was pounding. But hearing Twig apologize suddenly cleared his mind. 

‘We need to stop for a while until you heal.’ He struggled into Twig’s saddle, knowing it was easier this way than somehow carrying him down. ‘Just try to hold onto me, alright?’ 

Twig seemed at a loss for words, drawing in a breath as if to say something but deciding that it wouldn’t do much good to argue. He weakly braced against the lad, grunting in pain. 

Cowlquape looked behind them at Goom and Spooler, ‘We’re going to head to the ground, Twig is wounded.’ He felt strange being in control of the situation, but knew he didn’t have much time to worry. He instructed the prowlgrin to head downwards, and the creature slowly found its way through the branches. 

Once they made it, Cowlquape helped Twig to the ground. His mentor sat down on the roots of a tree, face pale and sweat coating his face and throat. Cowlquape kneeled down while Spooler and Goom followed them. He peeled the waistcoat off of Twig, then his overcoat. The material of his undershirt was stained with dried blood, and Twig winced as Cowlquape unbuttoned that and plucked it from the wounded area. 

The wound was worse than Cowlquape had thought it would be. It was inflamed and the skin around the laceration was a purple color that made Cowlquape’s heart sink. For a moment he was purely upset at his mentor for doing this to himself and then he felt pity.

He knew the first thing you had to do was clean the infected area, but he wasn’t sure if there was any clean water around where they were. Goom was maundering worriedly behind him, and Cowlquape agreed with the sentiment. 

He turned to the banderbear, unsure where to start. ‘Goom? Do you mind looking around the area for clean water?’ 

‘No! No, the Deepwoods are dangerous!’ Twig gasped, gripping Cowlquape’s arm. ‘I’m fine, we must continue. There’s no need to split up like th-‘ he winced, falling back against the tree. Suddenly his wound was bleeding, and Cowlquape felt a lump grow in his throat. 

‘Right,’ he turned from his mentor. ‘If you do not want to venture out then you can stay here and I will go instead.’ He wasn’t sure where the courage was coming from, but he just knew if Twig died he didn’t know what he would do. 

Goom nodded, patting Cowlquape on the shoulder with one great paw. ‘Wuh-wuhwuh,’ he said, lumbering off. Spooler decided to go with him, walking alongside the great beast quietly. 

Cowlquape looked at Twig, and knew immediately he had a fever. He was absolutely drenched in sweat, and his skin was so hot Cowlquape flinched when he touched it.

He mopped Twig’s brow with the sleeve of his discarded undershirt. Twig leaned into his touch almost involuntarily. Cowlquape worriedly combed Twig’s drenched hair out of his face with his fingers, looking down at the gash. Blood dripped down Twig’s side, slow and dark. Cowlquape would try to stop it or soak it up but he didn’t want to irritate the area more without clean water. 

Twig began to shiver after a while, having lost the extra layers of clothes. Cowlquape hoped Goom and Spooler would make it back soon, and hopefully with good news. He sat there next to his mentor, quietly telling him he was going to be just fine. 

When the sound of leaves crunching and branches snapping grew closer, Cowlquape’s heart leapt. He twisted his head around and watched first Spooler appear from the brambles and then Goom. An object was gripped gently in Goom’s large paws which Cowlquape realized was a makeshift leaf vessel. Inside of it sat cool stream water. It was set down near to Cowlquape and he had never felt more relieved in his life.

‘Thank you, thank you!’ He iterated, pulling the thing closer. He began to pour the water over the wound, watching dirt and grime and blood slip away. He felt distantly Twig’s hand gripping his knee as he worked, which he took as a good sign. He would have to heat the water up so it could kill more germs, he thought. 

He turned to the other two crew members, feeling so strange to take Twig’s place in command. 

‘Do either of you know how to start a fire? We may need to heat the water up for the best cleansing.’ 

Spooler nodded quickly, instructing Goom to help him find dry barkmoss and sticks. Cowlquape was glad to be working beside such knowledgeable people. 

He began to use once again Twig’s undershirt to gently scrub away the grime around the edges of the cut. His heart felt pity for his friend but also grew frustrated at his mentor for doing this to himself. The person he had seen before as an all-knowing individual had now slipped away to be just a lad who was only eight months older than he. It wasn’t a great feeling, but it made Cowlquape realize that maybe Twig had been pressured to act in such a way, was given too much responsibility too fast. It was easy to see Twig now as the helpless boy in the same position as Cowlquape.

Twig groaned gently as Cowlquape washed his hands in the water, planning to clean out the wound now as the water was heated behind him. It was slow work, with Twig wincing ever so often and making Cowlquape lose the spot he was working on.

After night had fallen, Cowlquape could finally say he had cleaned the wound as best as he could. Goom had collected herbs that could be churned into a healing salve throughout Cowlquape’s work. As Twig watched lackadaisically, the lad began to mix the sap and petals together until it was a thick paste. Twig gripped his arm as he spread it on and around the wound. 

Then, with much of the work finished, Cowlquape slowly and gently helped Twig wrap gauze around his waist. The prowlgrins had come equipped with minimal travel items. Cowlquape thanked Sky there had been medical supplies. 

Once the work was done, Cowlquape felt the fatigue finally grip his body. He laid down on the earth, letting out a large sigh. Twig radiated heat like a fire next to him. A cloth drenched in cold water had been placed on his forehead by Spooler, but he still seemed under the weather by a large margin. 

Goom had been a big help collecting edible fruit from the Deepwoods and some of the nuts and vegetables were being toasted for consumption now. Cowlquape knew Twig would need good food to combat his fever and infection. 

‘Twig, how are you feeling?’ Cowlquape asked, hovering over him.

‘I’ve never felt better,’ Twig joked, the muscles in his throat tensing. Cowlquape frowned, placing the back of his hand against Twig’s cheek. 

‘Are you hungry at all?’ He wondered, the smell of roasting food dancing around them. 

‘A little, everything is cold is all.’ Twig closed his eyes, chest heaving with his heavy breath. Cowlquape leaned against the tree too, head resting on the rough bark.

When it came to supper time, Cowlquape helped Twig sit up so he could eat his fill. He had also prepared warm tea for him, or at least something akin to tea. It was rather sweet, but still good all the same. Twig swallowed laboriously, and Cowlquape looked on in pity, knowing Twig mostly needed rest. He went to the prowlgrins, taking off a sleeping bag for his mentor and the three others for him, Goom, and Spooler. Spooler decided to take the first night watch, and Cowlquape was thankful to get some sleep after taking care of Twig. He helped the other into his sleeping bag, making sure he was absolutely comfortable and not too cold or hot, before slipping into his own. The proximity was safe. The linings of their sleeping bags touched. Cowlquape let out a large sigh, covering his eyes with his arm to block out the shininess of the crew members. Twig turned his head, trying to see past the sweat on his eyelashes. He was so grateful for his loyal apprentice, and now he saw him sleeping next to him and hoped his own mistakes wouldn’t cause the lad to suffer. Sky willing, he would recover quickly under Cowlquape’s care.

Twig fell into a deep, calm sleep. 

When Cowlquape awoke in the morning, he could see Twig’s serene expression as he slept on. He climbed out of his sleeping bag, seeing Goom sitting up around the edge of the camp. He walked over and stood next to the banderbear. Goom looked down and grunted something at him. Cowlquape smiled, though he did not understand. 

‘I think Twig needs meat of some sort, I was hoping to hunt today, but, I’m not sure how to.’ Cowlquape looks back, seeing his mentor and Spooler still sound asleep. Goom made some sounds, and Cowlquape felt bad for being able to speak but not being able to listen to the answer he received. 

They stand together until Cowlquape sees Twig begin to sit up by himself. He sits next to him, reaching forward to press the back of his fingers against Twig’s cheek. His skin is still hot, but at least his strength seemed to be up. Twig looked at him and his mouth quirked, making Cowlquape look away, his body experiencing its own type of fever. 

‘Feeling better, Twig?’ He asked, pulling the flap of the bag back so he could look at the gauze. The cloth was stained red and was in need of a change. 

Twig fixed his eyes on the soft hair at the back of Cowlquape’s neck. He had felt it once, clapping Cowlquape on the back of the neck in endearment. 

‘Much better, thanks to you.’ His hand twitched at the memory, wondering why suddenly his brain had hooked that fish in the water hole of his memory. Cowlquape nodded, slowly unwrapping the gauze. He saw that the swelling had lessened, and the discolored discharge had stopped. He felt relief in his chest as he ran some clean water over it, just in case there were any more germs. 

Twig’s body was trembling and he couldn’t stop it. His jaw was tightly clenched, the only thing he could really control. Cowlquape wiped his face with his sleeve, before wrapping him all up again. He relayed his feelings about hunting, something he was expecting Twig to laugh at, but instead Twig told him to collect a few things. Hempleaf, a very useful plant whose fibers could be spun into twine, sap of any harmless kind, a sharp object, and a branch of oakelm wood.

Cowlquape had stared at him in wonder before Twig shooed him off to find what he’d said. Luckily, Spooler had awoken and could watch the camp while Cowlquape and Goom went out in search of the materials. 

The items were rather easy to come by and besides the occasional pause for Goom to pluck certain helpful foods from the vegetation around them, they made it back in no time. Cowlquape brought the materials over to Twig, whose eyes were gleaming. 

‘I’m going to show you how to make a makeshift bow and arrow,’ Twig said, voice peppy. Cowlquape felt thrilled seeing his mentor alive on the outside once more. He followed Twig’s instructions while Goom and Spooler prepared breakfast a little away. They took a break to eat, and Twig’s pale features were slowly gaining color again. Cowlquape didn’t say as much, but his heart swelled with relief as he looked at Twig. 

Twig caught his gaze, eyes soft with gratitude. Cowlquape ducked his head in embarrassment, eating the delberries that we’re left on his leaf plate. 

‘I wish I could see you shoot your first arrow,’ Twig laughed gently, talking past a mouthful of oakapple. 

‘And hit a bush?’ Cowlquape said in good humor, chuckling with him. ‘You won’t miss much.’ 

Twig shrugged, fixing his apprentice with an amused gaze. His fever was still raging behind his eyes, but he had become used to the chill by then. 

They continued to put together the bow, which was a slow process, but it was coming together. Twig’s hands were experienced and usually took the place of Cowlquape’s at times where Cowlquape was unsure. 

‘Wow!’ Cowlquape said, gazing at the finished product. He hadn’t _doubted_ Twig’s expertise, but he definitely hadn’t expected such a well functioning weapon. 

Twig’s eyes sparkled at Cowlquape’s excitement, the lad’s smile made _him_ smile. ‘You just made your very own bow!’ Twig chuckled. Cowlquape blushed pleasantly at Twig’s joke. 

‘Thank you, Twig, I‘ll try to use it well.’ He stood, looking around for Goom, who had become his friend to traverse into the Deepwoods with. 

‘Take care of him, Goom,’ Twig said, suddenly hit with a brand new fever. Goom replied quietly with slow hand movements, and Cowlquape guessed it was something along the lines of ‘Poor Captain Twig, I will do my best.’ 

Once out in the woods, Goom was very quiet on his feet. Cowlquape had accidentally scared off a tilder by being a little too loud as he walked. At first he had felt horrible, but the banderbear patted his shoulder and they continued on. 

After an hour, they came across another tilder. Goom pushed Cowlquape forward and Cowlquape moved as quietly as he could toward the prey. The tilder’s ear twitched as Cowlquape pulled back the drawstring, his arm was shaking with effort. The arrow was a sharp piece of oak wood that he had carved with Twig using his dagger. It whistled as it flew out of the bow. 

Cowlquape couldn’t believe it when the animal fell onto the ground, and at first he felt remorse. But he knew he needed the meat for Twig and their journey, so he put the animal out of its misery with shivering hands. Goom then picked up the animal and congratulated Cowlquape in his own way. Cowlquape was warm with bashfulness, glad he could be competent enough for the crew members. 

Back at the camp, Goom and Spooler took care of preparing the food while Cowlquape took care of Twig. Twig was once again under the weather, but he seemed to perk up when Cowlquape sat next to him. 

‘How’d it go?’ He asked, sweat dripping down his throat. Cowlquape’s lips quirked as he drenched a cloth in water and placed it on Twig’s head. 

‘I hit it on my first shot,’ he said simply, trying to sound modest. Twig’s smile was so wide Cowlquape laughed at him. 

‘Congratulations! I’m so proud of you!’ Twig pulled him into a sweaty hug. Cowlquape hugged back and felt his chest seize with some powerful feeling. Whether Twig was acting deliriously from the fever or genuinely proud of him, Cowlquape couldn’t put into words how it felt to have him say that. 

‘Don’t hurt yourself, Twig,’ Cowlquape said ever so gently, and the other fell back with a satisfied huff.

‘Bet it’s going to taste good,’ Twig yawned, his eyelids heavy from his body’s internal stress. Cowlquape smiled and brushed the hair from Twig’s forehead. Twig fell back asleep after Cowlquape had been there next to him for ten minutes. Cowlquape was glad he was resting instead of plowing forward and forcing himself to heal. 

Cowlquape got up and helped Goom and Spooler with the food, tasked mostly with the seasoning. 

‘Were you ever taught about being a healer?’ Spooler asked him while Cowlquape was crushing some of the spice. 

Cowlquape looked up. ‘No, I only read about it. I have a barkscroll that details how to take care of wounds at different stages. When Twig said he was going to look for his crew, I just thought I’d need it in case.’ 

Spooler nodded with a smile. ‘That was very prudent of you, lad.’ 

Cowlquape simpered. 

Once the preparation was done, Cowlquape’s stomach was feeling particularly empty. He cut off slices for himself and Twig and piled it all on one plate. He thanked Goom and Spooler for their work and then sat down next to his mentor. 

It was comical watching Twig’s eyes flutter open as soon as Cowlquape had sat down, as if he could smell the food in his sleep. Cowlquape helped him sit up and then placed the plate between them. 

‘S...sure smells good,’ Twig said, placing a gentle hand on his stomach where it was sore. Cowlquape nodded, looking out of the corner of his eye at Twig’s movement. 

‘It’ll definitely help you heal.’ He plucked a piece of meat off and ate it himself. Goom and Spooler gathered around them and began to eat as well.

Once Twig started eating, it was as if this was his first meal in a month. He ate three quarters of the plate and then apologized profusely. Cowlquape smiled at him.

‘I’m glad it was so good, Twig,’ he said. ‘Would you like some more?’ The color on Twig’s face was endearing as he nodded. Cowlquape got up and sliced more of the meat onto his plate happily. 

Cowlquape couldn’t believe taking care of Twig made him feel so calm and in control. At times he felt worried that something would happen, like a wig-wig attack, and would sit awake with anxious eyes. But then Twig would wake and the attention would be focused on him, and Cowlquape _knew_ what had to be done for Twig. Making sure he ate enough, his bandage was clean, he wasn’t in pain, he wasn’t too hot or cold, and that he wasn’t pushing himself too hard was a good way of keeping his mind busy. 

At least until Twig got better.

Once they were through, Twig sighed heartily. Cowlquape tossed the leaf to the side, peeling back Twig’s sleeping bag. There was still a few bloodstains, but it was better than the day before and that morning.

‘Alright, Twig, you ready?’ He asked gently. Twig nodded and pushed himself up so Cowlquape could unwrap him. The wound looked close to healing, which was a miracle considering how long it had gone untreated. 

‘Wow! Look how well you’re doing!’ Cowlquape marveled, grabbing the herbs from his bag to make the salve once again. Twig smiled at him. 

‘All thanks to you,’ he said, his hands trembling as Cowlquape’s fingers traced the tender skin around the wound, coating it with salve. It was almost sensational, and Twig’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Cowlquape could see Twig’s struggle and quickly finished the work, tossing the leaf aside. His own face was pink as he bit his lip. 

‘Almost done.’ He began wrapping fresh gauze around once more, hands shaking. Once it was tied, before he could think, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to the material. Afterwards he froze, realizing his mistake, and quickly pulled away. 

‘J-just kidding, p-prof- Twig,’ he laughed, though it was rather forced and loud. 

Twig stared at him for a moment with an open mouth, before shaking his head and biting back a smile. The both of them were lucky Goom and Spooler had dispersed after the meal.

‘Thank you, Cowlquape,’ Twig said, sliding into his sleeping bag, ‘love is the best medicine. I expect to be completely healed in the morning.’ 

Cowlquape shook his head, not believing himself. At least Twig found it amusing instead of... queer.

Cowlquape tucked in after a long day, on his side facing away from his mentor. He decided to just sleep and try to convince himself it hadn’t even happened.

His dreams were more warm than usual though, and as he awoke and the soft heat of his heart pounding slipped away, he realized he himself was sweating. He quickly climbed out of the bag, seeing Spooler at the edge of the camp, on watch once more. 

He walked over, and Spooler heard him almost immediately. 

‘I.. I can take over if you’d like?’

‘Why thank you, lad,’ Spooler yawned. ‘If there’s any trouble don’t hesitate to wake me up.’ 

Cowlquape sat down on a log, ears piqued. He could hear Twig’s labored breath from across the camp, Goom’s large snores, too. He could also hear the more bestial sounds from farther out in the Deepwoods. He laid a hand on his dagger, having thrown the belt on earlier. 

His head pressed into the bark of the tree next to him. He kept remembering the way Twig’s body had stiffened when he’d leaned down to kiss the gauze. He hated himself for making it awkward. All he’d wanted to do was help. 

A morose sigh slipped out and he decided to just to focus on watching the camp. The prowlgrins huffed in their sleep, tethered to a tree behind him. 

In the morning, Cowlquape had started making soup out of the excess meat and herbs they had. It smelt rather good in his opinion. Anything to get his mind off of the night before. 

Goom awoke and took over the cooking, and Cowlquape _knew_ he had to check on his mentor, so that’s what he did.

His heart pounded as he sat atop his own sleeping bag, waiting for Twig to awaken. It took a while, but when it did happen, Twig was up quickly. Cowlquape stared as Twig pushed himself up, arms sturdy and without wincing.

Twig rubbed his face slowly, and then looked at him. 

‘Goodmorning, lad.’ 

‘Goodmorning, Twig... how do you feel?’ 

Twig looked down at himself, and stretched for a long time, a groan escaping his throat. Cowlquape stared at him in anticipation.

‘I feel... great.’ He pushed himself onto his feet, twisting and bending himself this way and that, testing every variable. Cowlquape’s mouth was open as he watched. Twig was definitely gripped with a visible vitality he had lacked for the past two days.

‘And I definitely need a bath!’ Twig joked, Looking down at his sweat-soaked skin. Cowlquape nodded dumbly from where he was on the ground. 

‘Wow! That’s a miracle-‘ Cowlquape said, climbing to his feet as well. Now that Twig was standing again, he looked a lot more imposing than he had when he was wilted on the ground. Cowlquape grinned up at him, about to ask him to check up on the wound just to make sure, but Twig placed a strong hand on his shoulder and stilled him.

‘And, that being said, I am going to apologize in advance, Cowlquape.’ 

Cowlquape’s mouth opened in confusion but suddenly Twig was lifting him up in something akin to a bear hug. Soon after, his mentor’s mouth was against his own and they were kissing. 

Cowlquape’s eyelashes fluttered in surprise, and he was focusing on Twig’s eyebrows, and the small twirl of hair that landed on his forehead often, and his cheeks that had a few dark freckles here and there, all at once. When he calmed down and closed his eyes, he breathed out through his nose in relief. 

It felt too short before his mentor was placing him back on the ground and pulling away, his hand placed on Cowlquape’s upper arm. They stared at each other, Twig’s usual confidence flickering in a sea of bashful adoration. 

Cowlquape felt his knees wobble in the face of it. 

‘Thank you, Cowlquape. You’ve saved me again.’ 

Cowlquape nodded with flushed features, not sure what exactly to do next. 

‘Well, I think a bath is long overdue for me, would you like to...’ his face was soft as he motioned in the general direction of the stream. 

Cowlquape stiffened with embarrassment.

‘Ehm, yes. Yes, I will do that because it is a perfectly normal thing to do.’ Cowlquape followed after him, unaware of Twig’s fond expression. 

‘Alright, Goom, Spooler, keep the camp safe until we get back!’ He said. Then, he took Cowlquape across the shoulders and ducked through the underbrush.


End file.
